Stretch film wrapping machines are of course well-known in the packaging industry in connection with the wrapping of various objects, such as, for example, articles, packages, palletized loads, or the like, within stretch wrapping film. An example of one type of stretch film wrapping machine is illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings and comprises a COBRA SERIES Model IV Stretch Wrapping Machine which is available from ITW MIMA, 6701 Nob Hill Road, Tamarac, Fla. 33321 which is a corporate subsidiary of ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC., 3600 West Lake Avenue, Glenview, Ill. 60025.
In accordance with such a stretch film wrapping machine which is well-known in the industry, the machine is generally indicated by the reference character 10 and is seen to comprise a free-standing floor stand which comprises a vertical standard 12 having a base 14 which is bolted or otherwise fixedly secured to a pair of divergent feet or legs 16 such that the vertical standard 12 is able to be supported upon the floor in a vertically oriented mode. A controller 18, having a keypad 20, is mounted upon the vertical standard 12 so as to be readily accessible to operator personnel in order to control film wrapping or packaging operations.
A substantially horizontally extending support beam structure 22, which is in the form of a structural channel or box beam, has one end thereof fixedly secured, such as, for example, by welding means, to a mounting bracket 24, and the mounting bracket 24 is adjustably secured at a fixed vertical location or elevational level upon the upper end of the vertical standard 12 by means of a plurality of bolt fastener assemblies 17. While support beam structure 22 has been illustrated as being mounted upon the vertical standard 12, it is to be understood and readily appreciated that the support beam structure 22, and the film wrapping mechanisms mounted thereon and to be described hereinafter, may alternatively be directly mounted upon a wall, or a support column, in lieu of being mounted upon the free-standing floor stand comprising vertical standard 12 and leg members 16. In view of the fact that the support beam structure 22 is, in effect, mounted upon the mounting bracket 24 by means of the one end thereof in a cantilevered manner, one or more support struts or tension members 19 are fixedly secured, also by, for example, suitable welding means, at one end thereof to the mounting bracket 24 and at the other opposite end thereof to the free distal end of the support beam structure 22 whereby the free distal end of the support beam structure 22 is adequately supported in tension so as to, in turn, be able to adequately carry or support the weight of the stretch film wrapping components which will now be described.
The free distal end of the support beam structure 22 has a horizontally extending support arm 26 rotatably mounted thereon and which is adapted to be rotatably driven by a suitable drive motor and operatively associated gearing, not shown in the drawing, wherein such drive components are housed within the support beam structure 22. In turn, the free distal end of the horizontally extending support arm 26, that is, the end disposed opposite the end which is rotatably mounted upon the support beam structure 22, is provided with a vertically extending downright 28 upon which a stretch head or carriage 30 is reciprocably mounted for vertically upward and downward movements attendant the wrapping or packaging of an article, package, or palletized load 32 which is disposed in a stationary mode at a wrapping station 34.
The stretch head or carriage 30 is provided with a supply roll of wrapping film 36, from which wrapping film 38 is withdrawn or uncoiled so as to wrap or package, for example, the palletized load 32, and a plurality of tension rollers 40 which develop a predetermined amount of tension within the wrapping film 38 in accordance with, or relative to, the particular loads to be wrapped or packaged. It is noted that the stretch head or carriage 30 is provided with a centrally located, vertically oriented housing 42 which accommodates the downright 28 such that the stretch head or carriage 30 can vertically reciprocate therealong in the upward and downward directions, however, the remaining structure of the stretch head or carriage 30, including the supply roll of wrapping film 36 and the tension rollers 40, are oriented in a tilted mode at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical such that lowermost regions of, for example, palletized load 32, that is, those regions adjacent to the floor of the wrapping station 34, may nevertheless be wrapped or packaged within the wrapping film 38.
As is well-known in the industry, stretch film wrapping machines of the type exemplified by wrapping machine 10 serve to wrap or package articles, packages, or palletized loads 32 located at the wrapping station 34 as a result of continuously wrapping the load 32 in wrapping film 38 wherein the wrapping operation is achieved through means of a combination of simultaneous movements comprising the rotary movement of the horizontally extending support arm 26 about its rotary axis defined adjacent to the free distal end of the support beam structure 22, and the vertically reciprocable upward and downward movements of the stretch head or carriage 30 upon which the supply roll of wrapping film 36 is mounted.
While the aforenoted exemplary stretch film wrapping machine 10 is highly respected for its performance characteristics which has led to its substantial commercial success, the support beam structure 22 of the machine is a relatively heavy structural component which imparts considerable weight to the overall machine. In addition, the support beam structure 22 comprises a plurality of separate components which must be welded together and requires internal support plates and extensive gusseting whereby the fabrication process for manufacturing the support beam structure 22 is labor intensive and therefore relatively expensive.
A need therefore exists in the art for a new and improved support beam structure which is able to be incorporated within stretch film wrapping machines wherein such support beam structure is sufficiently strong, yet relatively light in weight, and wherein further, the support beam structure is relatively easy and economical to manufacture in view of the fact that extensive internal gusseting, welding, and other labor-intensive processing procedures are effectively able to be eliminated.